2017–2018 Annual Research Report
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RESEARCH & PUBLIC HISTORY ANNUAL REPORT 2017–2018 FOREWORD FOREWORD SALLY MACDONALD Director, Science and Industry Museum, Manchester Welcome to our fourth Research and Public History Annual Report, covering the academic year 2017/18. This year saw the adoption of the Science Museum Group’s new Research Strategy, which sets the framework for our research activity for the coming five years. The Strategy (see pp xx) declares our bold ambition to be globally the most research-informed science museum group, so that research underpins most aspects of our work, from collections management through to exhibition development and the design of new galleries and digital resources. In order to do this, we’ve committed to supporting our colleagues across many teams to develop their research potential. And we want to build our research networks to support an even wider range of collaborations. Our conferences and workshops are vital for building such networks, and limbs, for example; another takes ABOVE: this year’s Report highlights several the form of an ‘in conversation’ Sally Macdonald Director, Science and Industry focused on specific topics of current between an archivist and artist, Museum, Manchester interest: for example, workshops on while yet another discusses the electricity to support Electricity: The challenges and opportunities of This year’s Report highlights the Spark Of Life exhibition at the Science collaborating across disciplines variety of their studies, emphasising and Industry Museum Manchester, and different ‘habits of mind’. the impact not only for our museums symposiums on Wounded as part of Our Spring Journal this year, guest- but for the partner institution and the Science Museum’s research for edited by Frank Trentmann of Birkbeck the students themselves. The quality developing medicine galleries, and University, took the theme of energy of this work shines through on these a workshop on China looking ahead as a starting point. With essays pages. We’re also delighted that one to future collaborative exhibitions covering topics from the meaning of our current students, Joshua Butt, with Chinese museums. of the fireside in post-war Britain, was joint winner of the Science Museum Increasingly, the Science Museum to attitudes to refrigeration in Group Journal essay prize for his Group Journal provides an excellent 21st-century India, it addressed article Adapting to the Emergence of channel for highlighting current the challenge – very pertinent for the Automobile (published in issue 08). museums – of making energy visible. research activity and encouraging Increasingly, our research activities more colleagues to publish their work. Our collaborative doctoral students are carried out in collaboration This year’s output (issues 08 and 09) continue to make a major contribution with colleagues from across the highlights the many forms that this to our research activity, influencing world. If you’d like to join in, then can take. One article might focus on everything from the way we think please get in touch by emailing a specific category of material culture and talk about our collections to [email protected]; – telegraphic instruments or prosthetic the development of new galleries. we’d love to hear from you. ANNUAL REPORT 2017–18 OUR WORK Collaboration At the heart of Tim Boon 1–4 Science Museum Group Research National Science and Media Museum Geoff Belknap 5–6 Research Highlights National Railway Museum Oli Betts, 7–8 Research Highlights Ed Bartholomew Science and Industry Museum Georgina Young 9–10 1 Research Highlights Learning and Audience Research Jayne Rayner, 11–14 Karen Davies Library and Archive Research Projects Nick Wyatt 15–16 Looking Back at Research Robert Bud 17–20 at The Science Museum COLLABORATIONS AND NETWORKS SMG Research Conference 2018 Alison Hess 21–22 SMG Journal Report and Reflections Kate Steiner 23–26 2 27–30 Conferences Across the Year RESEARCH PROJECTS Researching an Exhibition on Chinese Yanyue Yuan, 31–34 Science and Technology Jing Zhu Energy in Store Jack Kirby, 35–38 Anna Woodham, Elizabeth Haines 3 Bradford’s National Museum Helen Graham 39–42 Metropolitan Science Rebekah Higgit 43–44 Research in the Medicine Collection Sarah Wade 45–48 DOCTORAL PROGRAMME SMG’s Collaborative Alison Hess 49–50 Doctoral Partnership Scheme Recently Completed Doctoral Projects Hanna Reeves, 51–54 Jacob Ward, Phillip Roberts, 4 Thomas Spain Current Students 55–58 New Students Starting in 2018 59–60 ABOUT US Publications and Presentations 61–74 Research Strategy 75–78 5 Opportunities to Study with Us Tim Boon 79–80 Our Staff 81 CONTENTS COLLABORATION AT THE HEART OF SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP RESEARCH COLLABORATION AT THE HEART OF SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP RESEARCH LEFT: ‘Freedom 7’ exhibition (1965), a visitor-focused display Research in museums is necessarily learned since its formal launch in document contains measures a collaborative affair. To be sure, each 2012 to the benefit of the whole of SMG; for helping staff to enhance their of us ploughs a solitary furrow much in this sense, the research department research skills, including the of the time when we are actively pursuing becomes a service department for introduction of a regular curriculum of our research interests, but we do everyone in the Group. Whereas this training. We believe that a graduated that within an enabling framework has been true de facto for a few years, scale of research skill expectations provided by others, whether in funding, the strategy allows us to reassert this can also help us to deliver the other discussing or reporting our developing principle. Some aspects of our research emphasis, namely an enhancement of understanding. What is true of the enterprise have already shown their the number of successful applications individual researcher is also true benefits across the Group; the doctoral for funded research to support the of the research organisation; the scheme and Science Museum Group Museums’ forward programmes. Science Museum Group also pursues Journal are good examples. Other its own research, but, increasingly, programmes are also beginning to be COLLABORATING – NATIONALLY it does so with the support of a shared; for example, research grants; AND INTERNATIONALLY widening – and international – the National Science and Media Museum SMG’s collaborative research network of collaborators. is hosting Bradford’s National Museum, culture means sharing our research its major research project in One agreeable task for me this year interests with colleagues, as we do collaboration with the University has been the development of a new in our annual research conference. of Leeds. It is also partner in one Science Museum Group Research It also involves being a generous of the AHRC-funded ‘creative clusters’ Strategy (see page 86). As I wrote host to colleagues in the universities recently announced (as indeed is the in last year’s report, research is often and other museums as they discuss Science Museum). We can look forward a long-term business, and it follows subjects of relevance to the broad to substantial research projects that, when it operates in institutions interests of science museums; supporting work at all our museums. COLLABORATION that have long cycles of activity there that is why we are keen to partner are moments when it is appropriate to on conferences and workshops, consider and re-articulate our mission. Where there is research and also welcome many kinds of AT THE HEART OF One such convergence revealed itself to be done, then there is contribution to the Science Museum in the wake of the 2017 publication also the scope to enhance Group Journal. Whatever the outcomes Inspiring Futures, SMG’s statement its confidence, quality, in detail of EU exit negotiations, the of strategic priorities up to 2030. efficiency and visibility. Science Museum Group will continue to SCIENCE MUSEUM It was clear that it would be valuable collaborate with colleagues in Europe to our colleagues and research Another important change and, indeed, across the world, because community to spell-out how research in perception relates to the our collections, subjects and their activity can help our museum group kinds of research that the scholarly investigation know GROUP RESEARCH to achieve its ambitions. department seeks to support. no customs barriers. This intent was We believe that it is important signalled particularly strongly this The discussions that shaped the to recognise and value the research strategy produced some year by our China research project. TIM BOON valuable clarifications. We have set whole range of research activity Here, research activity is in at the start ourselves the exalted aim to become that goes on in our organisation, of a cluster of related projects that will Head of Research and Public History the world’s most research-informed not just the funded academic work, enable the Science Museum, working science museum group by building but also the investigations and in the UK and in China itself, not only to on our core strengths in collections- fact-finding that are an everyday plan an exhibition that illuminates what based history, whilst collaboratively part of colleagues’ working lives. is particular to Chinese science and developing expertise in areas including As the strategy states, ‘Where there technology, but also to emphasise the international, digital and audience is research to be done, then there is long history of relations between our research. To get there, it is clear that also